Field Audio

I need to replace my Sony MiniDisc recorder. I mostly need to do voice-overs, but occasionally I need to record live events/music. I've heard good things about the Edirol R-09hr. Anyone have any experience/advice? Thanks.

I have a Zoom H4 that I quite like, except that it devours batteries and is a bit fragile -- slight bump and it can freeze, without actually storing what you've been recording up to that point.

Zoom (made by Samson) has two other versions now, the H2 and the H4n, both of which look sturdier than the first H4.

The Tascam DR-07 and Yamaha Pocketrack 2G also look like good ones to me. However, make sure you do thorough research and look at the specs carefully; a lot of these recorders have trouble interfacing with Macintosh computers. That's why I steer clear of all Olympus models -- I have one, but can't get the files off.


www.derekmok.com

The Edirol R4 Pro is an outstanding field recorder. Records BWAVs that go straight into Final Cut, and can be jam-sync'd to a TCG or camera to minimize the time required to sync dailies. I've used it many times.

I have an Edirol R-09 (no "Pro" designations) and I use it like you are wanting to. Not real often, but it's never let me down. I've never had any issues like Derek describes about bumping it or short battery life. It uses an SD card so it's easy to just plug it into a card reader and copy your stuff where you want it. It has a wide variety of settings for WAV/MP3 and sample rates. The 48 kHz WAV setting goes straight into FCP. Useful input and output choices. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one if I needed one. But I am not a busy filmmaker so I don't challenge it real hard.

Scott

The one that I was looking into was the "Marantz PMD661 Professional Portable Field Recorder". It had pretty good reviews. I haven't bought anything yet and still looking. Look at them all.

a pro VO guy i met loves the Zoom H2.

i own an H4, and while i haven't used it that much, i found it's menu and controls difficult and unintuitive.
the director of the doco i cut last year used an H2 for field "musings" and then for VO.
quality varied, but that was all due to his free-form recording technique!

the H2 is much better designed than the H4, (darn it!)

Quote
Jeff
The Edirol R4 Pro... can be jam-sync'd to a TCG or camera to minimize the time required to sync dailies.

that's a huge selling point.


nick

> i found [the H4's] menu and controls difficult and unintuitive.

Unintuitive, no. Difficult, definitely. Way too small. And they didn't do it for a good reason -- the unit has lots of free space on it, so they made the directional knob small to make it look nice, which is always a bad choice in my books.

> the H2 is much better designed than the H4, (darn it!)

You should be happy...the H2 is less expensive!
But the H4 has a major plus -- you can tell at a glance which settings you're using to record -- 48kHz vs. 44.1kHz, WAV vs. MP3.


www.derekmok.com

"Unintuitive, no."

well the 4-way rocker switch that's located on the front and says "menu" ....
doesn't navigate the menu!

to do that you work the tiny black button on the side.
of course! now why didn't i think of that!

both are good for the price,
i just wish i'd waited 6 months, and gotten the smaller one.


nick

> i just wish i'd waited 6 months, and gotten the smaller one.

There is one huge advantage to the H2 in terms of its size, which is that because it is smaller and more compact (less loose space inside the chassis), it's less prone to shocks. Don't know about its battery consumption, which is a major factor. And the H4 is just large enough to not fit in a shirt pocket, which is something of a peeve.

I still disagree about the intuitiveness of the H4's controls, though. I figured out pretty much everything I needed to do with it without reading the manual. Except one bit I do dislike -- switching to different input sources is very awkward.

The H4's been out for something like three years, the H2 more like 10 months (don't quote me on those, though). So it would've been a longer wait than you thought, if that makes you feel any better!


www.derekmok.com

This is all great input. I'm going to go with the Edirol. It really looks like the best bet for my particular (and very variable) needs. Thanks guys!

My H4N fixes most or all of the issues that you H4 owners are going through. For $349.00, it has better audio quality and specs than even the Sony F23/35/RED One or any other camcorder I have ever used.

Really kind of a crime that you can pay over $100k for a camera with crap sound.

Dan

> My H4N fixes most or all of the issues that you H4 owners are going through. For $349.00, it
> has better audio quality and specs than even the Sony F23/35/RED One or any other camcorder
> I have ever used.
> Really kind of a crime that you can pay over $100k for a camera with crap sound.

Wow, quite a claim. You should call up Samson to see if they want to use that quotation!

Still, I recorded a live theatre show using the H4 for backup sound closer to the stage, and all the actors were blown away by how well they could hear themselves.

The H4n is also smaller, though I still miss that column of buttons on the left by which you can immediately tell, even from somewhat far away, which setting you're using. Dan, does the H4n have an equivalent?


www.derekmok.com